A Great Wall of Sound recording here. Both sets are vivacious, considering it is a 74 show, this might be expected. I found myself day-dreaming of what it was like here in the crowd. I've been listening to MOTB shows a lot more recently.

This show has a hall-mark Jam starting with Playing in the Band. If you're a fan of Jams then this one is totally for you. The segues are seamless, but expect the minor cut in Truckin'. Doesn't bother me much, but for all of the purists, this will surely upset the experience.

The quality of recording is outstanding. I am in awe constantly of how these have been preserved. Truly, it's a work of Art to simply maintain the levels and make sure things work according to how they were played. Give it a listen! Peace ~ Nick.

Revisiting this one 7 years on. I like it even more than I did then! I need to look to see if there are other audience tapes that have surfaced since then.

What's most amazing are the moments when the band is just way out there on the edge of the universe, pummeling them with these incredible sound waves, and the crowd is just wallowing in it in complete stunned silence. Sure, there's some good time clapping in Truckin and the occasional perfectly placed cry of joy but most of the time this audience recording sounds like the world's most incredible soundcheck.

The Playin' jam into Wharf Rat is amazing ... Bobby starts a Spanish Jam but Jerry is not interested ... the transition into Wharf Rat comes suddenly but it is seamless. And this is a really, really great Wharf Rat. Jerry's guitar tone at the end sometimes sounds like a brass band playing in the distance. Like the Wharf Rat, the Truckin just appears out of nowhere, and like the Truckin', the return to Playin' happens on a dime when the band (or just Jerry) grows tired of the uninspired Nobody's jam. In other words: they keep it moving. The Playin' finale is one of the hottest finales in the year of great Playin' finales. They take their time and Jerry ends up milkin extra spoonfulls of hot, liquid country grease out of his guitar.

Someone lights a firecracker in the middle of the wild applause that follows. The same crowd that was cricket quiet during the Wharf Rat is screaming at the top of its lungs now. But moments after the Ship of Fools rolls in they're back to their best church behavior. A couple fireworks ... a couple war whoops ... cheers for the deserved guitar solo.

There's some incredibly beautiful guitar playing by both Jerry and Bobby in the Sugar Mag. They just take their time and let this one flow and ebb soooo beautifully, and they do the same with the Sunshine Daydream. And I forgot to mention it earlier but Donna's vocals are right there in this and in the Playin'. Love that woman. Without her, you don't get these grooves.

Also, some mention should be made of the Jack Straw here, which is one of those face-stealing versions that explores some unique spaces.

And the Scarlet which is white hot (but cut -- are there any complete versions of this one????).

And lastly, as expected, the China outro is super tasty and takes its sweet time with lots of wonderful peaks and -- inevitably in 1973-74 -- that dorky "Feelin Groovy" jam or whatever you want to call it. Energy killer if you ask me but, hey, I'm one of those guys who likes a good Ship of Fools. And Phil does drop a magnificent series of bombs around 8:50 or thereabouts. Rider is hot and the last jam before the vocal break is as good as any you'll hear. Where is my Morning Dew? You can't have everything I guess.

--(my original comment from 2007 below)------

Hadn't heard this one before -- maybe the best audience recording of the Wall of Sound I've heard yet.

As I tend to do for most '73'74 shows I flipped right to the Row Jimmy to get a feel for the groove and, yeah, it's hot. Bill Fxcking Kreutzman baby. Wait for the post-jukebox-tore-down section for some real sweet Keith action on the keys. I'm telling you: RJ is the litmus test for this era.

Next I flipped to the Wharf Rat outro. Ahhhhh....

Reminds me: it still stinks that you can't download the mixes of the 10/20/74 version (best Wharf Rat ever) that were available before. They beat the mixes on the GD Movie CD ...

Nevertheless, I must raise all five fingers to this recording and performance.

This audio is so good the nuance comes through, especially in Jerry's guitar. Funny that with the audio quality, several of the vocals are suppressed. As far as the "splashy" cymbals mentioned earlier, I didn't hear that with the headphones, ear-buds, or the home entertainment system. Then when I put it on in the car, wow those highs were dominant. What is reality?

The playing seems tight and intense through most of the performance. Maybe not particularly exploratory but quite a journey nonetheless.

The build-up to the crescendo in Truckin is exquisite. This night the boys really managed to build and build and then burst through the bubble into interstellar space travel.

As a side note, some of the chords in the China-Rider transition mirror oh so closely those of Crosby, Stills, and Nash in Suite Judy Blue Eyes. Just a curiosity?

The recording has picked up extreme amounts of cymbal. I've never heard a mix so splashy, and I find it a bit annoying. I suppose this is a good thing for folks who want focus on the drumming, but it seems something is lacking in the vocals as a result(??) Anyway, I don't remember the big rig putting out this way in person. But still grateful for access to the recording and the efforts of the taper. Thank you! The performance is quite nice so I'm sticking with it anyway. cheers!

jesusfuckingchristalmighty. Wonderful recording. I forgot it was an aud. was lucky enough to see a handful of shows with WOS. this is the best recording i have heard of the wall from an audience Pov. thanks Rob and Charlie!

Playin' is the standout on this excellent sounding tape. Big and serious with Jerry riffing circles and Keith with that awesome Chick Corea "Bitches Brew" sound flooding in and out and punching everyone in the face whenever the jam starts to disintegrate.

Big Truckin' with a Nobody's and this is the goods.

Even if you're SBD snob, give this recording a listen. Amazing sound for a 70s audience recording, probably my favorite out there for 74 (Jerry Moore's recordings included).

Tremendous stuff that brings the experience home in the best way possible.

Oh yeah, as with most of 74, this show isn't shabby either :)

Seriously the sound quality of this AUD is outstanding, completely crystal clear. And I am a big fan of AUDs, give me the energy of the crowd and the odd ambient noises over the crystal clear SBDs everyday, but with this AUD you don't really have to choose.

Also, the jam on Playing In The Band is great and Row Jimmy is excellent. 5 Stars.

Delicate, precise interplay between musicians... Technically sound and JAMS like a bitch.

If anything, the vocals could be a bit more prevalent on some of the tracks.

Download and go!

I have never posted a review before, but this recording was so crystal clear that I felt compelled to write a review.

Unbelievable sound. Thank you so much for uploading to the site.

BTW, this site completely rocks!!

dear rob bertrando,

you are my taper HERO. why? your recordings are an amazing window onto an amazing time. yes, there are those intrepid ushers at the capitol back east here, but there's always the issue of crowd decency, no? really, what i'm saying is THANK YOU.

too often i find myself listening to sound boards and just not getting IT. why is this such an important show, i'm thinking. well, i'm one who needs a good audience recording to hear how the house sounded. i like the echo, the weird oddities of ambient anomalies, the swell. the shows that i experienced are reverberating through my BONES, not through a clean processor.

anyway, all the sound problems and mice here are healy and jackson's problem. there's an annoying ring of feedback that swirls around for a while that sounds like a wall-of-sound mic problem. then, it sounds like one of jerry's pick-ups is on the fritz. but bertrando, you capture it in all it's warty glory.

why would anyone listen to a soundboard when there's an audience tape as clear as this?

bertrando, i wish there was a pulitzer in it for you, pal.

thanks again.

This show sounds great. Phil comes through loud and strong. I haven't listened to the entire show but the boys sounds energised.